Bonds’ 39th Homer Not Enough

Another Barry Bonds milestone couldn’t bring the San Francisco Giants another victory.

Bonds became the fastest player to hit 39 home runs Saturday night, but the Giants lost, 6-5, to the St. Louis Cardinals on Mike Matheny’s run-scoring single in the ninth inning.

Bonds hit a two-run shot off Darryl Kile in the first inning, getting to 39 homers in 74 games and putting him on a pace to hit 85. Babe Ruth was the previous fastest, doing it in 89 games in 1928.

“It’s great,” Bonds said. “To be compared in that kind of category is nice. You don’t think it’ll ever be me.

“Mark [McGwire] and guys like that, sure.”

The homer also extended Bonds’ total, already the best in major league history before the All-Star game. The Giants have 14 games remaining before the break.

“He hit a home run,” Kile said. “It doesn’t matter what pitch I threw, he hit it out.”

Kile threw a fastball down the inside half of the plate and Bonds hit it well over the right-field wall for his 533rd career home run, putting him one behind Jimmie Foxx for 10th place on the career list.

Bonds crossed home plate mostly to applause from a sellout crowd of 48,517, with a few scattered boos.

The Cardinals rallied for three runs against Felix Rodriguez in the eighth, taking a 5-4 lead, then scored the game-winner in the ninth after the Giants tied it on consecutive doubles by Calvin Murray and Ramon Martinez in the top of the inning.

Alan Embree (0-2) walked Jim Edmonds, who stole second as Ray Lankford struck out. Albert Pujols was walked intentionally and Edgar Renteria walked on a full count before Matheny’s hit off Robb Nen on an 0-and-2 pitch ended the game.

“Something funky always happens here,” Giant Manager Dusty Baker said. “In my mind, this was one that got away.”

Matheny, who is batting .220, stranded seven runners in his first three at-bats, including the bases loaded in the sixth. He also tied the score with a single in the eighth.

“That was hard to swallow,” Matheny said. “It’s great to see I had another opportunity in the game to do something different.”

In the eighth, Craig Paquette drove in a run with his third hit, and the go-ahead run scored when first baseman Felipe Crespo threw the ball into left field trying to start a double play on Kerry Robinson’s grounder.

“I threw it away,” Crespo said. “That’s my quote. That’s all there is to it.”

Jason Christiansen (1-0) struck out pinch-hitter Eric Davis to end the top of the ninth with runners at first and second.

St. Louis, which ended a three-game losing streak, also got a home run from Kile. The Cardinals are 2-28 when trailing after seven innings and the Giants are 34-3 when leading after seven.

Rodriguez had pitched 20 consecutive scoreless innings since May 7 for the Giants, who lost for only the second time in 11 games.

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Chasing History

The pursuit of the major league home run record for a season is in full swing again, with Barry Bonds taking aim at Mark McGwire’s record of 70 set in 1998:

HOME RUNS AFTER TEAM’S 74TH GAME

BARRY BONDS 2001: 39

*

MARK McGWIRE 1998: 33

* Bonds update: Saturday’s home run off Darryl Kile in St. Louis was his 19th on the road. He has averaged one home run for every 5.5 at-bats on the road and one for every 5.6 at-bats at home.

* Factoid: McGwire didn’t hit 39th homer until Game No. 90 in 1998.